Wire management System

ABSTRACT

A wire management system and method for protecting wires originating from roof-mountable photovoltaic panels, including system components made up of base support (s), an elongated tray and an elongated cap or cover piece. The base supports are mountable to the roof, the elongated tray fits within the base supports, and the cap or cover piece overlies the tray and interlocks with the base supports. Wires from the photovoltaic panels are threaded within the base supports, through the tray, and protected by the cover piece.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a wire management system and system components for protecting wires originating from roof-mounted solar panels such as photovoltaic (“PV”) laminated panels. The invention further relates to a method of installing the wire management system adjacent the roof-mounted PV laminated panels.

2. Description of the Related Art

Solar panels, such as PV laminated panels, mounted to roofs are well known in the art. Such panels necessarily include a plurality of wires that are connected to the PV panels and then routed into electrical components, such as storage batteries or converted to alternating current for use in an electrical utility grid. Conventional methods of mounting PV panels may involve drilling of holes into or through the roof of a building. The various wires connected to the PV panels may also be routed through holes or openings within the roof.

A need has arisen for a wire management system to protect the wires from the environment, such as rain and solar ultraviolet rays, and to keep the roof neat, clean, and free of haphazardly-arranged loose wires, without penetrating the roof. A need has arisen for such system to be easily installed and to ensure a safe roof environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The wire management system of the present invention is a UV-protected system to protect the wires and to keep the roof neat, clean, and free of loose wires without penetrating the roof. The wire management system is preferably a three-piece system consisting of (1) a base support, preferably plural base supports, that are fastened to the roof adjacent each PV junction, (2) an elongated tray, and (3) an elongated cap or cover piece. In the preferred embodiment, the first piece of the system includes a plurality of base supports fastened to the roof adjacent each PV panel or panel pair. The plurality of base supports are fastened so as to be aligned with each other. The base supports include an opening to receive the wires that are connected to the PV panel.

The second piece of the wire management system is an elongated tray, preferably a single elongated tray that overlies the plurality of base supports and is fitted into each of the base supports and supported and retained thereby. Holes or openings are preferably cut on site adjacent to where the wires are pulled into the base supports. The cut holes or openings receive the wires from the base supports.

The third piece of the system is the cap or cover piece which covers the tray and locks onto the base support(s) to ensure a stable wire management system. Preferably the cover piece is substantially the same overall length as the tray and sufficiently long enough to overly the plural base supports. The locking of the cover piece to the base supports results in the tray being protected and “sandwiched” between the base supports and cover piece.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wire management system for a roof-mounted PV panel array that protects the wires and keeps the roof neat, clean, and free of loose wires.

It is further an object of the present invention to provide a wire management system that protects the loose wires originating from the PV panels without penetrating the roof.

It is further an object of the present invention to provide a wire management system that can be easily and effectively installed on the roof without penetrating the roof or requiring complex attachment components.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional exploded view of the three components of the wire management system, i.e., the base support, the elongated tray, and the elongated cover piece;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the placement of plural base supports on the roof of a building adjacent the PV panels;

FIG. 3 shows the plural base supports each with a roof membrane piece heat welded or having an adhesive to attach the base supports to the roof;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to that of FIG. 3 and showing the threading of the wires from the PV panel through the holes in the base support;

FIG. 5 shows the placement of the elongated tray over the plural base supports before holes are drilled therethrough;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the tray with a hole cut or drilled therethrough prior to placement on the base supports;

FIG. 7 shows the elongated tray with all holes cut therethrough positioned and supported by a ledge of the base supports with the wires threaded through the drilled holes; and

FIG. 8 shows the elongated cap or cover piece interlocked with the base supports with the tray sandwiched therebetween.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In describing preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

Although only certain embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, in describing the various embodiments, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. It is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wire management system 1 of the present invention comprises at least three components, a base support 100, an elongated tray 200, and a cap or cover piece 300. Each of these components is formed of a plastic material, preferably polyvinyl chloride (“PVC”) or acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (“ASA”) each of which are preferably outdoor rated. In addition, each of the plastic components includes an ultraviolet (“UV”) coating to provide protection from the ultraviolet rays. The coating can be a dual extruded Duracap brand UV coating.

As shown in FIGS. 2-8, the wire management system 1 is arranged to be positioned and secured to a roof 3 adjacent the solar panels or PV laminated panels 5. As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of PV laminated panels are spaced apart just slightly greater than the width of the planar base 101 of the base supports 100. As shown in FIGS. 2-8, the base supports 100 are formed in relatively short sections with each base support 100 positionable adjacent a PV laminated panel or panel pair and aligned with adjacent base supports. By contrast, the elongated tray 200 and cover piece 300 are preferably single piece components where each single component fits within the plurality of base supports 100 in a manner to be described. Of course, there could be circumstances where a single elongated base support is utilized. And the tray 200 and/or cover piece 300 could be formed of separate shorter segments that may abut each other or indeed may be slightly spaced apart in the lengthwise direction.

The base support 100 is the first piece of the wire management system 1 to be installed, supports the entire system, and allows water to flow under the tray 200 and cover piece or cap 300 when the latter two elements are coupled to the base support 100. Each base support 100 receives wires 7 that are potted to the PV panels 5. The base support 100 includes a planar base 101 that is mountable upon the roof 3 and is integrally connected with a pair of vertical side panels 103 extending substantially perpendicularly and upwardly therefrom. Each side panel 103 includes an internally facing side panel face 105 and an externally facing side panel face 107. Each side panel 103 has an opening 109 to receive the wires 7 from the PV panel 5. The internally facing side panel faces 107 include a ledge 111, preferably substantially L-shaped with the short leg 113 of the ledge 111 extending in an upward direction from the longer leg 115. The ledge 111 extends the entire length of the base support 100 and lies above the holes or openings 109 in the side panels 103. The openings 109 receive the wires 7.

At the upper or free end 117 of each vertical side panel 103 is an interlocking edge member 119 that extends outwardly from the externally facing side panel face 105. The interlocking edge member 119 is angled downwardly to form a lip 121 for receiving a corresponding lip 303 from the cover piece 300 as will be described. Obviously, other forms of interlock are possible and are within the scope of the present invention. Further, the interlocking edge 119 need not be precisely at the free end 117 of the vertical side panel 103, but may be displaced downwardly therefrom.

Extending outwardly and angularly downwardly from each of the externally facing side panel faces 105 is a wing member 121 having a length substantially equal to the length of the planar base 101 and extends downwardly to a location substantially aligned with the planar base 101. Preferably, each wing member 121 includes a perpendicular or vertical edge as shown 123. However, it should be understood that the wing 121 can be formed without any edge, but extends completely angularly downwardly so as to rest upon the PV panels 5. Each wing member 121 is intended to overly and protect the wire junction that extends from the PV panel 5. Based upon the thickness of the PV panel, there may be a slight tension or upward reactive force from the wing member 121 on the panel 5 which thus provides a secure and tight mating between the base support 100 and the panel 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, after the plural base supports 100 are arranged adjacent the PV laminated panels 5 in an aligned direction so as to receive the tray 200 and cover piece 30, each base support 100 is secured to the roof by adhering strips of roof membrane 11 to affix the base support 100 to the roof 3. The roof membrane 11 preferably is heat welded to the membrane of the roof or, alternatively, may include an adhesive or glue to secure itself to the base support 100 and roof 3. It should be realized that other effective means of securing the base support 100 to the roof 3 may be utilized.

As stated earlier, it is desirable to include no holes in the roof 3 and, thus, a heat welding of roofing membrane to roofing membrane is preferred. A strip of roofing membrane 11 may be laid across planar base 101 and then heat welded to the roofing membrane below. Another alternative is a taping or gluing arrangement. However, there may be circumstances where the base support is secured to the roof in a manner that would require a hole, such as a screw hole or nail hole. Obviously, if the base support 100 is secured by heat welding, taping or gluing, the area upon which the base supports will be adhered may require cleaning with a cleaning solvent so as to maintain a secured connection.

An elongated tray 200 fits between the upright base support side panels 130 and is supported by the ledges 111 extending inwardly from the side panels. The elongated tray 200 is sized so as to overly the plural base supports. It has been found that a tray having a 20 foot length may be effectively utilized with plural base supports numbering between 10 and 20, preferably 15, depending upon the number of photovoltaic devices protected. Each photovoltaic panel or panel pair should have a single base support adjacent thereto. Generally the spacing between adjacent base supports is greater than the length of the base supports. As previously discussed, there may be circumstances where the length of the tray 200 and cover piece 300 are each shorter and may be installed in components, rather than one long piece for each element.

Turning to the configuration of the tray 200, the tray includes a planar tray base 201 having upright tray side panels 203 extending vertically from the tray base 201 and having a pair of vertical support legs 205 extending downwardly from the tray base 201. The support legs are supportable by the ledges 111 of the base supports 100 to maintain the tray 200 supportable by the base supports 100 between the base support side panels 103 and above the base support holes or openings 109.

The tray 200 is intended to be supplied to the installer with the planar tray base 201 being free of holes or openings. As will be described, the holes/openings 207 are formed on site adjacent the location where each of the wires or wire sets 7 enter the base supports 100. Because the base supports 100 may not be precisely evenly spaced in the longitudinal direction, it cannot be determined in advance where the holes 207 in the tray 200 should be located. On the other hand, there may be circumstances where a single elongated base support is utilized in which case the openings within the tray may be pre-drilled. Both of these possibilities are within the scope of the present invention.

The openings 207 to be cut in the bottom 201 of the tray 200 are substantially aligned with the openings 109 of the base supports 100 so that the wires 7 from the PV panels 5, after being threaded through the openings 109 of the base supports 100, may be threaded upwardly and outwardly within the tray 200.

The elongated cap or cover piece 300 for covering the tray 200 and interlocking with the base supports 100 will now be described. The elongated cover piece 300 is preferably of the same length as the tray 200 and is formed in a single section (or plural sections fit adjacent to each other) to provide a complete cover for the base supports 100 and tray 200. The cover piece 300 includes a top portion 305 generally planar, although other shapes are certainly within the scope of the present invention. For example, the top portion 305 could be cylindrical, i.e., semi-circular in cross-section. Extending downwardly from the top portion 305 are a pair of vertical side walls 307. Each of the vertical side walls 307 has a free edge 309 that defines an interlocking lip for interlocking with the interlocking edge member 119 of the plural base supports 100. This secures the cover piece 300 to the plural base supports 100 with the tray 200 supported therebetween. The cap or cover piece 300 is the final piece of the wire management system that ties the system together and protects the wires from the elements. It is the tray 200 that carries all of the wires and connectors for the PV system protected by the cover piece 300. The space between the bottom 201 of the tray 200 and the plural base supports 100 provides a conduit for water to flow under the tray 200 and cap 300.

Installation of the system will now be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the PV laminate panels 5 are installed on the roof 3 aligned with adjacent panels and spaced apart a distance sufficient to enable the base supports 100 to be fitted therebetween. By way of example, if the base support 100 is approximately three inches wide, it is suggested that the PV panels be spaced apart approximately four and one-half inches. After the PV laminate panels 5 are installed on the roof in a generally aligned position, each of the plural base supports 100 is placed on the roof 3 at a location where the holes 109 will be adjacent, or as close as possible, to where the wires 7, potted to the panels 5, are located. Generally, the base supports 100 will be spaced an equal distance from each other, but this is not required. The positioning of the base supports 100 depends upon the positioning of the laminate panels 5 and must be adjacent to the panels 5 such that the wires 7 from the panels can be threaded through the openings 109 of the base supports 100. As earlier stated, the roof 3 is first generally cleaned with a solvent so that the base supports 100 can be heat welded, taped or glued to the roof by the roof membrane 11 in a secure manner. This is shown in FIG. 3 where strips of roof membrane 11 are heat welded to secure the base supports to the roof.

After the base supports 100 are secured to the roof (FIG. 3), the wires 7 from the PV panels are threaded through the openings 109 of the base supports as shown in FIG. 4. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the elongated tray 200 is generally positioned to overly the base supports and the wire locations are marked on the bottom 201 of the tray 200 so that a hole 207, such as a one inch hole, is drilled or cut out in the tray bottom 201 to allow the group of wires 7 to pass therethrough. See FIG. 6. (Only one hole 207 is depicted, but the location of the other holes, as marked by the installer on site, is shown and will be the location of the other holes.)

After the holes 207 in the tray are cut out at the appropriate location, the tray 200 is positioned to be supported by the base supports 100 and the wires 7 that had been threaded internally within the base supports are threaded upwardly through the holes 207 of the planar base 201. The wires 7 that are shown in FIG. 7 as loosely supported by the tray 200 are ultimately connected to further components of the electrical system that receive the power generated by the PV panels.

The next step in the method is the securing of the cover piece or cap 300 to overly the tray 200 and protect the wires 7, as well as to secure the cover piece 300 to the base supports 100 to provide a firm interlock. This is shown in FIG. 8. The width between the vertical side walls 307 of the cover piece 300 is substantially the same width as the width between the side panels 103 of the base supports 100 so that, as the cover piece 300 is pressed downwardly from above, after the tray 200 is supported by the base supports 100, the walls 307 of the cover piece 300 and side panel walls 103 of the base supports 100 will flex sufficiently to provide a snap interlock connection therebetween.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and, accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. 

1. A wire management system for protecting wires originating from roof-mountable photovoltaic panels, said system comprising, at least one base support mountable to a roof for receiving wires from a photovoltaic panel, said base support comprising an elongated planar base mountable to the roof and a pair of side panels extending in a first direction, defined as upwardly, from the planar base, each side panel including an internally-facing side panel face and an externally-facing side panel face, each side panel having an opening for receiving wires, the internally-facing side panel faces including a ledge extending laterally in a direction from one face toward the opposite face, said ledge lying above said opening, each said externally-facing side panel face including an interlocking edge member for locking with a cover and including a wing member extending outwardly and angularly downwardly in a direction toward the planar base; an elongated tray having a width sized to fit within the side panels of the base support comprising a planar tray base having upright tray side panels extending vertically from the tray base and a pair of vertical support legs extending downwardly from the tray base, each support leg supportable by said ledges of the base support to maintain the tray supportable by said base support between the base support side panels and above the base support openings; and an elongated cover piece for covering the tray and interlocking with said base support comprising a top portion and a pair of vertical side walls extending in a second direction, defined as downwardly, from said top portion, each vertical side wall having a free edge defining an interlock edge for interlocking with the interlocking edge member of said base support to secure the cover piece to the base support.
 2. The wire management system of claim 1 comprising plural base supports each having a length substantially less than the length of the tray -and cover piece.
 3. The wire management system of claim 1, wherein each of the base supports, tray, and cover piece are plastic.
 4. The wire management system of claim 3, wherein said plastic comprises polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
 5. The wire management system of claim 3, wherein said plastic comprises acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA).
 6. The wire management system of claim 2, wherein each of said plural base supports are linearly mountable to the roof to receive the elongated tray and cover piece.
 7. The wire management system of claim 3, wherein the plastic is coated with a UV coating.
 8. Wire management system components made up of a plurality of base supports, an elongated tray and an elongated cover piece, wherein each of said base supports comprises a planar base and vertical side panels extending in a first direction from said planar base to a free edge, each side panel defining an opening and including a ledge above said opening extending laterally from each said side panel, said free edge of each of said vertical side panels defining an interlock, and each side panel including a wing member extending from the side panel above said opening and downwardly and angularly in a direction toward the planar base; said elongated tray comprising a planar tray base, upright tray side panels extending from the tray base in a first direction, and a pair of vertical support legs extending from said tray base in the opposite direction, said planar tray base sized to be received within the side panels of said base supports, wherein said vertical support legs are supportable by the ledges within said plural base supports; and an elongated cover piece having a top member and side walls extending from the top member, each side wall having a free edge defining a cover piece interlock which is interlockable with the base support interlocks to secure the cover piece to the base supports with the tray supportable within the base supports.
 9. The wire management system components of claim 8, that include only a single elongated tray and only a single cover piece.
 10. A method for installing a wire management system on a roof containing photovoltaic panels, said wire management system including a plurality of base supports, a tray, and a cover piece, each of said base supports including a planar base for attachment to the roof adjacent a photovoltaic panel, and including an opening for receiving wires from the photovoltaic panel, and further including a wing portion to overly a portion of the photovoltaic panel to cover the wires extending from the photovoltaic panel, said method comprising the steps of, (a) positioning and affixing each of the base supports to the roof adjacent a photovoltaic panel and at a location where the opening within the base supports can receive the wires leading out from the photovoltaic panel; (b) threading the wires through the opening into the interior of the base supports; (c) aligning an elongated tray having a planar tray base and vertical side walls with said base supports and marking the location on the planar tray base where the wires will enter the tray base; (d) cutting openings in the marked areas of the planar tray base; (e) repositioning the tray on the base support and threading the wires within the base support through the cut openings of the planar tray base; and (f) positioning the cover piece over the tray and locking the cover piece to the base supports. 